Jimmy Smith's - Finest Hour (2000)

01.Walk On The Wild Side
02.Ol' Man River
03.Organ Grinder's Swing
04.Got My Mojo Workin'
05.Hobo Flats
06.Blues For Del
07.The Cat
08.Blues In The Night
09.The Sermon
10.James And Wes
11.Papa's Got A Brand New Bag.

Jimmy Smith (organ, vocal)
Oliver Nelson, Lalo Schifrin (conductor)
Jerry Dodgion, Phil Woods (alto saxophone, woodwinds)
Al Cohn, Zoot Sims (tenor saxophone)
Jerome Richardson (baritone saxophone)
Ernie Royal, Doc Severinsen, Clark Terry, Thad Jones, Roy Hargrove, Nicholas Payton (trumpet)
Ray Alonge (French horn)
Jimmy Cleveland, Urbie Green (trombone)
Don Butterfield (tuba)
Kenny Burrell, Wes Montgomery, Mark Whitfield (guitar)
George Duvivier, Milt Hinton, Christian McBride (bass)
Ed Shaughnessy (drums, percussion)
Grady Tate, Bill English, Mel Lewis, Bernard Purdie (drums)
Ray Barretto (congas).

Recorded between 1962 and 1995.

Few musicians have ever been able to generate the sheer excitement of organist Jimmy Smith, straddling the worlds of jazz and R&B and matching keyboard wizardry with an ability to find the funky essence of a groove. His Verve recordings of the 1960s presented him in big-band and small-group formats, and there's a good sampling of both here. His hit "Walk on the Wild Side," arranged by Oliver Nelson, and Lalo Schifrin's "The Cat" effectively update the big-band tradition, with the brass acting as an effective balance to Smith's surging, electric power. He's more inventive in the small groups, though, especially when matched with comparable giants of the bluesy end of the jazz spectrum, like frequent partner Kenny Burrell or Wes Montgomery on "James and Wes." This is an excellent introduction, with Smith's adding blazing runs and electric soul to familiar material from James Brown and Muddy Waters, as well as originals and older pop and swing tunes. --Stuart Broomer.